How much do you hate this? (NSFW)

[CCericola]

"here are your proofs. I'm sorry, but the car shots did not come out."

Sent from my iPad using PhotoForum

[Ads]

[rexbobcat]

I'd just give them the car photos free of charge and apologize.

I'm sure that they wouldn't mind free photos even if they aren't of your usual quality

[e.rose]

What do you use for pp?

For this? CS5

I am sure she will love this since its her mans car and all . I would try to clone out some of the oil on the driveway.

Thanks

Did you use your spot meter? That will fix anything!

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If you find yourself doing a lot with natural light, you may want to look into a scrim. They are more typically used in motion picture, still photographers rely a lot more on artificial light - but I enjoyed using the one I built. Setting up a diffusion scrim is easier and cheaper than over powering the sun, and in this case I think it'd just make more sense.

California Sunbounce Sun-Scrim Translucent 1/3 C-06B-0650 B&H

Thanks for the suggestion

"here are your proofs. I'm sorry, but the car shots did not come out."

Sent from my iPad using PhotoForum

I'd just give them the car photos free of charge and apologize.

I'm sure that they wouldn't mind free photos even if they aren't of your usual quality

Thanks

[davisphotos]

Just send her and the car my way, I'll create some images that will have her man drooling. Nissan Z and a hot chick in a tiny dress and stockings, I could make that work.

[tirediron]

...I'm pretty much in hate with this image right now...

Sorry 'Rose... but... ^^this^^

[GerryDavid]

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So... remember that awesome thread about what level photographer you are? THIS image is the reason I'm not a level 5 yet.

This is another image from a boudoir client I just had...

She REAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLY wanted to take some shots with her fiance's car because it's his "second love".

Ugh.

Okay...

I was ADMITTEDLY at a complete loss for what to do with this sh*t.

The original exposures were admittedly REALLY sh*tty. REALLY. You'll see below... And it took a sh*tton of PSing to get it to where it is now. WAY more than I would like to have done....... had I done it right IN-CAMERA... which I did not.

I'm pretty much in hate with this image right now, but it's what the client wanted.

She hasn't seen any of the images yet, but I took what I thought was one of the "better" of the car images and edited it just so she could get an idea of what it would look like when I was done with whichever other's she wanted.

SO.

Is there anything you think I should do differently with this POS in post to attempt to make it a little LESS of a POS?

EDITED VERSION (Flickr killed it with over-sharpening... but you get the idea... I think):






ORIGINAL (Those of you with a weak stomach, I recommend you overt your eyes, 'lest the terrible lighting and exposure cause you to vomit... ):
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Thoughts? Recommendations? Verbal lashings?

Thanks.

This is why I only schedule outdoor portraits towards sunset.

One thought though is to get a large canopy and cover the car that is in the frame and the model *might have to be a huge canopy* and bring in a flash to balance them with the background.

[chuasam]

I'm not sure if using such a wide angle lens was the best solution. I'd have focused on the model but add in a hint of the car...rather than try to get in as much of the car as possible.

[Big Mike]

I tend to agree with the advice to just tell her that the car shots didn't work out. Be honest about it but also reinforce that you could have done better in different circumstances (if she could have moved the car etc.)...just don't sound like you're making too many excuses.

As for trying to save this one...maybe get crazy with the processing.

[CCericola]

I don't think there is anything wrong with telling her the car shots were not up to your standards. She can always get a reshoot if she wants right? If not, I'm sure you have plenty of good shots to choose from.

[JAC526]

There are shots of her on the hood, but in general they're all sh*tilly exposed, so I'm not about to edit another one right now for the sake of finding out what I should do about them in general, haha.

I was mostly just being flippant....sorry.

[Big Mike]

Just playing....
erose-1a.jpg

[Derrel]

Big Mike's extensive re-work of the shot actually looks quite presentable!!!!!!!

I would have thought about putting her inside the car in that skimpy outfit. As far as how much I like or don't like the photos: keep in mind, non-photographers (ie, regular people) evaluate photos mostly on emotional attachment to the subjects shown in the pictures...atrocious technical issues like bad color, fuzziness, poor composition, and so on...often really NOT a big problem to "most" clients... a sexy girlfriend in skimpy clothes, stockings, and red high heels, posing next to the guy's beloved sports car??? Well, it doesn't look anywhere near as good as the shots we see in Car & Driver or Hot Rod magazines...BUT... to the guy who owns that car and loves that woman...hell...ANYTHING that has car + woman= "GOOD pictures!".

Photographers will tell you all the stuff that's wrong with the shots. Trust me. The GUY will LOVE basically "anything" you managed to capture that has his two "honeys" in the same frame...seriously...

[amolitor]

I'm not one to advocate trying to save a bad image with post processing, generally you just wind up with a more polished turd. I'm not sure this is all bad, though. It's got some flaws, but it's got some merits, too. There's no getting around the fact that it looks like sleazy shot from some low-rider magazine, but I am pretty sure that's EXACTLY what she wants. So, let's see if we can bury the flaws in style, and bring out the good stuff.

Crop in a little tighter. The ass end of that car is ugly, you want the nose and the rim, and make it pop a little. The color is all over the place and lumpy, so dump it, except for the awesome shoes (man, I HATE selective color, but f**k it, we're going for hot lowrider babe, right?). Then bury all the ugly in the darkness by burning it into oblivion. Weird stains on the driveway? Gone. Infelicitious arrangements of trees? Gone, or at any rate reduced to suggestions and textures. Everything except the babe and the good parts of the car, bury 'em in stylized darkness.

Finally tone the whole horrible catastrophe slightly warm. Not enough to notice, just enough to feel it.

Attached is a rough cut. I think it's overtoned, and the selective color is sort of shoddily done, etc, but whatev.

car2.jpg

[cgipson1]

Some ideas for chicks and cars, to make a guy happy (cliche, maybe... but FUN!)

The outfit she has on.. have her sprawl on the hood (carefully).. some showing lots of leg, maybe some with her legs bent up under her somewhat, leaning back on the windshield. Bright red lipstick.... give her a goblet of golden wine... pull the dress straps over a bit just to show some skin, barely hiding the nipples... get some shots (slightly different poses) with different expressions (bored, teasing, sexy, HOT, etc) and see what works.. flash with LARGE modifier.... do the James Bond Bimbo thing...

Open the hood! Take a swipe or two of grease and put them on her cheek and forehead! Mess up her hair a bit! Give her a open ended wrench. Have her lean over the engine from the drivers side.. showing some wonderful cleavage.... and pretending to wrench. Looking dead on at the camera with just a teasing little sexy smile. Use flash.... make it vivid. Desat the car / hood/ engine a bit to make her POP. Attire: short shorts, and a button up shirt (top four or five buttons undone) tied at the waist...like Daisy Duke.

Same shot again.. from behind with her just looking around a bit.. over her shoulder.. startled look, sexy look... play with it!

or am I dreaming?

[amolitor]

Anything you do to save these is going to have to be carefully presented to the client. She's your client, so you'll know best how to present it. Radically processed photographs are probably not what she had in mind, but I'm pretty sure that's the only option you're going to be able to give her.